Henby wiese



June 28; 1927;

H. WIESE I AIRPLANE Filed Sept. 28. 1925 IN VENTOR Z2 hE/VR) Irv/555.

A TTORNEYS Patented June 28, 1927.

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HENRY WTESE, OF ANDERSQN, INDIANA.

AIRPLANE.

Application filed September 28, 1926.

This invention relates to means for causing and controlling verticalmovement of an air plane, whereby it can ascend and descend verticallyinstead of in the present substantially horizontal movement.

The problem of constructing air planes so that they can rise or descendvertically without difficulty has had its solution attempted by manyinventors. The desirability of an upward starting off and a verticallanding is well recognized and the problem will have to be solved beforeair planes can come into general use, because it will be impractical toprovide landing places suitably located or in sufficient numbers to meetthe requirements of the users of air planes, if a large field isnecessary for that purpose.

The use of a horizontal propeller, especial ly when located above theair plane, to tend to vertically lift the air plane, has been heretoforesuggested and tried, but apparently without any success, as it has notyet come into practical use. One of the difficulties is the insufficientlifting power of the horizontal propeller of practical dimensions, andanother trouble is that it will not cause the air plane to ascend ordescend vertically, as the air plane will wabble and rock to animpractical and dangerous extent, as there is nothing to balance the airplane.

One feature of this invention consists in providing a substantiallyvertical air chamber under the horizontal lifting propeller with theupper end of the air chamber open to receive downwardly moving air fromthe propeller and with the lower portion of the air chamber curved sothat it has an upward discharge against a horizontal baffle platesecured to the body of the air plane, whereby it will have a liftingeffect that will aid the propeller in elevating the plane.

Another feature of the invention consists in providing two such airchambers, one on each side of the body of the plane with their lowerends discharging against said horizontal bafHe plate. This is a veryimportant feature because it balances and steadies the air plane in itsvertical movement,

whether ascending or descending, and prevents the sidewise or swayingmovement of the air plane while ascending or descending.

Another feature of the invention consists in providing a double verticalair chamber on each side of the body of the air plane, one being theprimary air chamber with down weirdly moving current, above metttis'ned,

Serial No. 138,205.

and the other a secondary air chamber for a return vertical movement ofa portion of the air coming from the discharge end of the primarydischarge chamber and providmg a number of horizontal baffle plates 011the side of the body of the air plane against which the upwardly movingcurrent of air in the secondary air chamber impinges and also aids inthe lifting movement of the air plane.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from theaccompanying drawings and the following description and claims:

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a substantially central vertical sectionthrough an air plane, equipped with this invention, part-s being omittedfor the sake of clearness. Fig. 2 is a plan view of said air plane withparts broken away. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 33 ofFig. 1. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line tl of Fig. 1.

Some of the usual details of an air plane are not necessary to be shownor described herein, but in order to illustrate the general nature ofthis invention there is shown an air plane body 10 with wings 11 and afront propeller 12 for the forward movement of the air plane.

This invention consists in adding to such an air plane a horizontalpropeller 15 mounted above the body 10 of the air plane on a verticalshaft 16 that is driven by an engine 17 The details of the means fordriving this propeller are not set forth as they are immaterial, and infact this feature of the invention is not by itself new theoretically,although so far as I am aware the horizontal lifting propeller has notbeen used in practice. On the underside of the body of the air planethere is rigidly secured a main long wide horizontal bafiie plate 17 asseen in Fig. 1. Surrounding this baffle plate 17 a and enfolding thebody 10 of the air plane, a system of air chambers or conduits isprovided immediately below the horizontal propeller 15.

At each side of the body of the air plane there is what may be termed aprimary air chamber 20 with a flaring open upper end located beneath thepropeller to receive the air driven downward by the propeller. Theseprimary air chambers have an outer side and lower end wall 21, and aninner wall or partition The walls 21 and 22 are parallel longitudinallyof the iii) air plahe and parallel with the body thereof, as seen inFigs. 2, 3 and 4, and the lateral width of the primary air chamber 20 isrelatively narrow and substantiall uniform excepting at the flaringupper en as shown in Fig. 1, and said chamber has considerable lengthparallel with the body of the alr plane, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

Therefore, each of said chambers has considerablecapacity and Verticallythey have the peculiar shape shown in Fig. 1, that is, after leaving thearing upper end the chamber 20 curves downwardly and o'utwar'dly forsome distance and then downwardly and inwardlyand finally upwardly andinwardly to the discharge end which is located slightly below the mainbailie plate 17. Hence", the downward current of air through saidchambers 20 makes no sharp turii at any point, but travels in relativelySlOW curvess'oas to facilitate the movement of the air th'erethrough andnot check the same and also to reduce and minimize the dbwnward thrustof the air column. The theor or the action resulting from this conion isthat a considerable and rapidly moving 'cblfumn ofl air will be drivendown the propeller into each of said primary air chambers, and thetwoair columns discharge with considerable force against the bailieplate 17and thus tendto forcce the airplane upward. The air discharged by saidprim'a'ry air chambers against the baiiie plate 17 escapes through theopening 23 beneath the discharge ends of said air chambers and theopenings 24 froinsaid discharge ends into the secondary air chambers 25.g

The secondary air chambers 25 lie between the inner walls 22 of theprimary air chambers 20 and the body 10 of the air plane and their airinlets are at their lower ends through the openings 24 and their outletis at the u er end under and near the center of the propeller 15, asseen in Fig. 1. The chambers 25 have the same length as the chambers 20,see Figs. 3 and 4, but their width varies considerably as at. the lowerportion they are very wide, as seen in Fig, 1, while they are contractedas they extend upward. 7 There are a, number of horizontal bathe plates26 secured to the outer side wall of the body. ass n in Fi 1, andextending into the chambers 25. body constitutes the inner wall of eachchamber 25 ek'ceptiiig towards the lower end where there is a partitionplate 27 extending from the body to the lateral edge of the main tameplate 1?. The theory of the a r action in chambers 25 is that a portionof the air discharged from the discharge ends of the primar air chambers20 escapes into the chambers 25 and travels u ward with considerablespeed and in such movee wall 10 of the ment in'ipinges against thebzhile plates 26 and tends to aid in lifting t 16 air plane, on the sametheory that the bafiie plate 17 and the columns of air in the primaryair chambers 20 aid in the uplift of the air plane.

The air chambers above explained have another function in addition tothe uplifting function above stated. The additional function is tobalance the air plane in its vertical movement, whether in the upward ordownward movement. Without the air chamber system explained, the airplane would sway widely in various directions, while ascending ordescending because of the irregular air support of the propeller andthere would be nothing to resist said swaying movement exceptinggravity. The air chambers tend to resist lateral movenient or sway ofthe plane.

hile there is disclosed herein what is considered to be the preferableform of the arrangement of the air chambers, the invention is notlimited to the particular form and arrangement shown, excepting that thechambers must be in a position to receive the downward air thrust fromthe propeller 15 and there must be a pair of them, one on each side ofthe center of the air plane, and in order to get the uplift, the airfrom the chamber must be discharged against the under side of one ormore baflie plates secured to the air plane.

In the construction herein shown the main air chambers are the primarychaml hers 20. The secondary chambers25 are desirable, but notnecessary. While only one engine 17 is shown, and that ratherdigrammatically. the engine construetien can be varied. Preferably thereshould beone engine for the travelling propeller 12 and a separateengine for the lifting and descending propeller 15, as the lifting'ropeller will not be used after the desire elevation is reached so asto clearthe houses, tree tops and hills and permit the main propeller 12to cause the travel of the air lane. Ih such instance the engine drivinthe lifting propeller would be stopped? However, one source of powercould be used to drive both propellers or either of them by using theproper clutch mechanism for stopping and starting either or both of thepropellers.

The invention claimed is: l. combination with an a rplane having a.body, of a horizontal propeller central above the body of the planetending to lift and control the vertical moven'ient thereof, ahorizontal bafiie plate secured centrally on the underside of the bodyof the plane. and an air chamber on each lateral s de of the body of theair plane having an upper inlet opening under said propeller forreeeiving the downward thrust of the air therefrom and at its lower endcurved upwardly under and towards said baflle plate for discharging theair passing therethrough upwardly against said bafiie plate, whereby theair currents through said chambers will tend to lift the body of the airplane and resistswaying movement of the air plane while rising ordescending.

2. The combination with an air plane having a body, of a horizontalpropeller above the body of the plane tending to lift and control thevertical movement of the plane, a horizontal batlie plate secured to theplane, a similar air chamber secured at each side of the body of theplane with the upper ends thereof flaring and open below the propellerto receive the thrust of the air therefrom and the lower portion of saidair chambers being curved to discharge upwardly against said battleplate, substantially as set forth.

3. An air plane construction substantially as set forth in claim 2 withsaid baffle plate secured to the underside of the body of the air planeand with air escape openings between the discharge ends of said airchambers and the baffle plate, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination with an air plane having a body, of a horizontalpropeller above &

the body of the plane tending to lift and control the vertical movementof the plane, a horizontal main baflie plate secured to the underside ofthe body of the plane, a primary air chamber secured at each side of thebody of the plane and having a flaring upper end located immediatelybelow the propeller to receive the downward thrust of air therefrom. andsaid air chamber extending downward and at its lower end curved so as todischarge upwardly under and against said baffle plate, a secondary airchamber between each of said primary air chambers and the body of theplane in position to receive a portion of the air discharged by saidprimary air chambers against said main baffle plate and with thesecondary air chambers open at their upper end beneath the propeller sothat a column of air will pass upwardly therethrough, and horizontalbaflle plates secured to the side of the body of the propeller andprojecting into said secondary air chamber to receive the impact of theair passing upwardly therethrough, substantially as set forth.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto aflixed my signature.

HENRY WIESE.

